End of the Line
by akaeve
Summary: A what if, what if this is the last episode ever of NCIS and everyone going their separate ways.


End of the line…..

Special Agent Gibbs looked at his diary and then his watch, he knew what was the outcome of this meeting with Director Vance….and he knew that someone from HR would be there.

He looked across at Tony and Tim, and inwardly sighed, it was going to be hard, but then he had been grooming Tony to take his place, it was Tim he felt sorry for. Ellie Bishop was on maternity leave, and had made no bones about the fact, that she was going to be a full time mother. Gibbs rose and looking at the boys said, "I have a meeting with Director, hold the fort," as he turned and walked slowly up the stairs to the Directors office.

"You know what that is going to be all about don't you?" Tony whispered to Tim.

"Nope," knowing fine well it was the run down to Gibbs retirement. He was hoping that Tony would not become the overpowering person he had been when Gibbs had had his "accident" all those years ago. He vaguely could hear Tony continue to chatter, but Tim had his own thoughts.

"You didn't hear a word I was saying, did you Probie?"

"There you go Tony, all Mike Franks on me. For your information I too have plans."

"Plans, plans for what? Pray do enlighten me," Tony now added his eye twitching slightly like Gibbs' did when something bothered him and now moving over to Tim's desk.

"Not just now. I'm not sure if I really want."

-oOo-

For once Gibbs looked at Vance's secretary and taking a big breath, knocked on the door.

"Come," the voice behind the door answered. Gibbs turned the handle and opened the door to see Vance now standing but the head of HR still sitting at the table, papers a strewn across.

"Do sit down Jethro," Elizabeth Galloway said looking at Gibbs, "You know the procedure, it is mandatory for you to retire at 57 and well that would be in three months, we need to get the paper work in order and also for us to get a successor."

"Thought that was pretty obvious," Gibbs replied looking at Vance.

"I know who you have in mind and it is up to Tony to have 1st refusal but I was thinking of advertising, new blood, because," as Vance caught Gibbs' eye, "I heard a rumour."

"Yeah the same one I did? You know Tony hated it."

"Gentlemen please, I have these forms to give to Agent Gibbs and I need them signed," as Elizabeth now gathered the papers together and placed in an envelope, stood and handed the envelope to Gibbs, "Good afternoon Director," as she now left the room.

"Want a drink?" Leon asked.

"Nah, plenty of time for that later," as Gibbs now turned, opened the door but turning back, looked at Vance, "Ok if I take the rest of the day off?"

"Of course, Gibbs."

-oOo-

Tim sat on the couch in his apartment, a letter in tatters on the floor. He had to do something and the thought of Gibbs leaving and Tony in charge, or in fact a new person, what was it a new broom, no he had written to Vance to see if there had been any vacancies in Okinawa or even Los Angeles, anywhere away from Tony. But it had been a chance meeting with an old MIT friend that had planted a seed.

_**Fact**_

_In 1999 the University of Cambridge, and MIT, had begun a major new partnership; a new form of academic enterprise, building on the complementary strengths of two, of the world's great universities._  
_The two universities would create the Cambridge-MIT Institute, a new education and research enterprise that had the financial backing of the UK Treasury. The Cambridge-MIT Institute's programmes would include undergraduate, graduate student, and faculty exchanges; a programme of integrated research; the adaptation to Britain of professional practice programmes developed at MIT; and the creation of a national competitiveness network in Britain._

_For both institutions, the partnership would offer opportunities to build strength upon strength in fields where they were both world leaders, to collaborate efficiently in new research and educational initiatives, and to work together with their industrial partners. By using advanced information technology to link their campuses, frequent student and faculty exchanges, joint research programmes, the development of some common curricula, they sought to create as much as possible._

_The integrated research programme would focus on how technology improves productivity, how technology-based enterprises grew out of academia, and how technology enterprises developed into world-class organizations. The new Institute would also link research programmes in fields that were likely to have great impact on the evolution of future technology._

-oOo-

Tim took a deep breath and began to again write out his CV, and a letter of introduction, to both the HR department of Cambridge University and that of his old college, MIT. This would be one way of visiting England, and of course getting away from Tony.

-oOo-

Jimmy looked down at the white envelope, it had been a hard letter to write, but then so was the one he had in his pocket for Dr Mallard. Ducky, his mentor had gone the way of his mother. It had started with little things, like forgetting his glasses. Forgetting to finish reports and eventually forgetting to put a "guest" back in the "cooler", if it hadn't been for the fact that Jimmy had forgotten his own car keys, he wouldn't have been fresh in the morning. A medical had shown early signs of dementia, and this seemed to send Ducky down into a depressing spiral.

"I remember my old M.E. Dr. Walter Magnus; he was my esteemed predecessor you know."  
Jimmy had nodded; he too had met the old doctor and remembered that Tim had made the collage in MTAC for the old boy. Dr Mallard was still bright enough though, to make his final arrangements, and had gone into a retirement home in Virginia.

Jimmy Palmer had been promoted to Senior Medical Officer at NCIS, a job he loved but was still sometimes shaky at his own findings. Agent Gibbs could still scare him and the thought of Tony taking over also filled Jimmy with fear. No, he had decided that with Breena now pregnant with their fourth child, and Breena's father not getting any younger, it was time to take the bull by the horns. He had made the decision; he was going to join Ed Slater in the funeral business. Ed had offered him 50:50 with Breena in the event of his death, and this would, as Breena said, be the family business. The envelope was his 3month resignation to be given to Director Vance.

The second letter was for Donald Mallard, it was thanking him for everything, for believing in him and trusting him, but it was time to move on, he now had more responsibility.

-oOo-

Abby was distraught, she had known for years that this day would come, but had it to come round so soon? What was she going to do? Gibbs was like a second father to her. She had briefly thought of asking for a transfer to LA office but then she had been to New Orleans to assist Loretta Wade, who was of course a Doctor and a Jefferson Parish Coroner. Jefferson Parish Louisiana, New Orleans it had been like coming home, especially as she had graduated from Louisiana State University. The only thing that bothered her was she had had a brief relationship with Senior Special Agent Dwayne, Pride, how would they work together again. Yet at one point she and McGee had been an item and they had got on with the job. So she now began to draft the letter to Vance, she just hoped that he could maybe swing things for her.

-oOo-

Tony was looking forward to being the new Boss, not that it had been confirmed or anything but it was just the natural progression….wasn't it? Tony began to wonder, could he really see himself in another 10 years still here in D.C. He called Stan.

They had met for lunch, Stan looked good but did he miss the life.

"No," Stan had said. He had been a pen pusher before and he was back being a pen pusher and of course he had a family. But he had enjoyed. Every day different, a new destination, now and again, and of course a girl in every port. That last bit Tony wondered if it was true or was Stan just joking.  
Would he recommend it?

"Oh yeah, you just didn't have the right focus, when you did the 3months all those years ago."

Tony left the lunch with a different approach, the thought of the overseas travel and a girl in every port, certainly appealed to him. He went home and wrote a letter to the Director.

-oOo-

Vance thought to himself, as he looked down at the four letters, Tony's, Abby's, Tim's and Jimmy's. He hadn't really thought that there would be such a mass exodus, but then he, in his own heart had lost the love of the job.

What he had decided, was to go the way of Tom Morrow, it may have been a downward move but the responsibility would not be there. He had two grown up, well almost grown up children to try and be a father to. This was why he had decided to apply for a job with Homeland Security. But he was also going to give something back to the community and was going to help train wayward children in the sport of boxing. His own resignation letter was on its way to Sec. Nav.

But going back to the letters, who would have thought Tony would apply for an Agent Afloat job, he had hated it way back when he, Vance, had assigned him to the USS Ronald Regan, but Vance knew there was a place coming up for Europe, either the USS Benjamin Franklin in Naples or the USS Mount Whitney at Gaeta.

Abby, she had probably made the right decision too, there would not be the friendship and the comradery, there had always been, that she was used to, and now with his own pending departure he didn't think Abby would or should that be, could, cope too well.

Jimmy…his letter hadn't come as a surprise. Mr Palmer had not been happy for a while and yes Vance understood, family came first and the thought of being his own boss and company man must have surely moved Jimmy to this decision.

The one letter that really did surprise the Director was Tim's. Vance had managed to secure Okinawa but this letter in front of him, was final. Timothy McGee was leaving too. His resignation apologised to Vance for the inconvenience he had caused in now rejecting the offer of promotion, but he had been offered a Research Post in England, Cambridge University.

**The Final Countdown**

The three months flew in.

Tim was going to Cambridge; to a Research Job with the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. His Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering was going to help find a cure for cancer, but he had also been offered a place with the Communication Research Network, due to his Master of Science Degree in Computer Forensics. It didn't matter he would try both. And the best thing was he could maybe write again. The books would not be based on his life as a NCIS Agent but he would write fast action thrillers.

_**Fact**_

_One of the CRN's portfolio working groups is devoted to Critical Infrastructure Protection. It brings together equipment vendors, network operators, end-users, industry technologists and academic researchers to consider the extent of the internet's security problems, the economic and operational effects, and to anticipate the next big threat._

That he would enjoy, but there was also the Quantum cryptography department, an emerging technology for secure data communication, with the most commercially mature quantum applications. However, as yet there were no widely accepted standards for either the quantum cryptographic network, or for the protocols that underpin data security. He fancied that part of the research too.

_**Fact**_

_The Cambridge-MIT Institute has been funding quantum research since 2002, and in 2005 built on that research by founding the Quantum Technologies Group (QTG). This transatlantic community of pioneering academics and industrial technologists has recently collaborated with the US National Institute for Standards and Technology to convene a cross-sector group to identify industry standards for quantum information processing, essential to the future commercial prospects of this revolutionary new technology. Participating organisations include Toshiba, Hitachi, Quantum Information Partners, Thales, the Department of Trade and Industry and Magi Q._

-oOo-

Tony was over the moon, "I mean Italy, Naples or Gaeta, and it will be like going home for an Italian."

"You are third generation American," Tim had retorted.

"I know, so that still makes me quarter Italian, no?" he had questioned looking at the team, or the soon to be defunct team.

"Abby, are you sure you know what you are doing?" Gibbs had asked her quietly one day.

"No, but I can't just sit here anymore. I have to move on, and it will be like going home. Won't it?"

Jimmy had left without too much emotion. They had all had a whip round and had gone for a meal and a few drinks. Dr Mallard had been invited, but it was clear that the crowd and faces were too much for him; he just couldn't remember or cope. Gibbs had taken him back to the home.

The Director's decision had come as shock to everyone, except Gibbs.

But what of, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs? Was he going to spend his retirement drinking in his basement? No Gibbs had his cabin in the hills, and he had built another boat, he was going to embrace his retirement, maybe travel, but as always, Gibbs was a man of mystery. He had however managed to get an instructors job, part-time with a gun club, and was going to still make toys for the local children's home. He would be kept busy.

**The End.**

Information sites below.

. /research/news/behi ... r-research.  
.edu/1999/cambridge-1110  
. .uk/downloads/work ...


End file.
